It helps college students “deepen understanding of central ideas”, mentioned Prof Adrian Smith in a report back to ministers in July.

However funding will stop on the finish of September and maths lecturers have written to Schooling Secretary Justine Greening to ask why.

It “is unnecessary”, says the letter from the Affiliation of Lecturers of Arithmetic and the Mathematical Affiliation.

‘Nice worth’

“We’re writing to you as two of the topic associations that symbolize arithmetic lecturers to ask why continuation funding was not discovered for the Underground Arithmetic undertaking given its success and the emphasis you’ve got positioned on the event of Stage three arithmetic…

“Please are you able to clarify why ongoing funding was not obtainable to Underground Maths?

“It’s obscure how long-term growth is ever going to be achieved when help shouldn’t be sustained for programmes which might be of nice worth to the sector.”

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ATM MA

In its response to Prof Smith’s overview, the federal government introduced a £16m money enhance for post-16 maths over two years.

The overview discovered that too many youngsters dropped maths after GCSE, harming their job prospects and the broader financial system.

However the £16m won’t present direct substitute for initiatives like Underground Arithmetic that are dropping funding earlier than they’re full, mentioned David Miles, a maths instructor from Suffolk and treasurer of the Mathematical Affiliation.

“This was a key programme that was good for everybody,” he mentioned.

He mentioned the lack of funding for Underground maths had left lecturers “shocked and distressed”.

‘Top quality’

Specialists at Cambridge College’s Centre for Mathematical Sciences started the undertaking 5 years in the past with Division for Schooling cash.

On-line educating sources have been first made obtainable to varsities early final 12 months and have been an enormous success, mentioned Mr Miles.

Many lecturers have been planning to make use of them to show new reformed A-levels being rolled out from September.

“It is the type of top quality useful resource which we need to encourage and it’s all free.”

Specifically, it emphasises the connections between completely different areas of maths which not often develop into clear to college students till diploma stage, he added.

However, he mentioned, an software for continued funding has been turned down and, though the sources will stay obtainable on-line, the undertaking won’t ever be accomplished, with some A-level subjects not included.

Corinne Angier of the Affiliation of Lecturers of Arithmetic mentioned she discovered it extraordinary that a lot cash was being wasted on reconfiguring post-16 maths when actual specialists had already made such progress.

“Nothing ever will get sustained. There may be actual frustration,” mentioned Ms Angier.

Individually, Max Goulding, a maths instructor at a Cambridgeshire complete referred to as the choice “an enormous blow”.

“The funding invested up to now could have been in useless,” mentioned Mr Goulding in a letter to the Instances Instructional Complement.